Michael R. Strain, Columnist

Marco Rubio Has Come Down With Trump Disease

The Florida senator used to be known for his optimistic conservatism on public policy. It’s a shame that he’s lost his nerve.

January 2, 2019 at 3:00 PM UTC

By Michael R. Strain

Michael R. Strain is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is director of economic policy studies and Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the author of “The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It).”

Trump whisperer.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

At his best, Senator Marco Rubio shows leadership on public policy. Unlike many Republicans in Congress, he’s unafraid to question his party’s orthodoxy and is willing to break new ground by applying conservative principles to the problems facing 21st-century America. But in a recent essay in “The Atlantic,” he wasn’t at his best.

Like others in the GOP, Rubio is trying to find a policy agenda and a public voice for the age of President Donald Trump. In doing so, he shows too much flexibility on policy and vision, and too much willingness to accept as new and enduring political constraints things which are likely to be passing fashions.